The Economist is a British weekly
news magazine that tilts towards the left in its political coverage but
boasts an excellent science and technology section. In the issue for
January 22nd-28th the science section (which includes in its portfolio
sociological studies) presented a report on a recently published study
conducted by Dean Busby and a group of his colleagues from Utah's
Brigham Young University. Their project studied the impact of a couple's practicing, or
declining to practice, sexual abstinence PRIOR to marriage on the
happiness and stability of their SUBSEQUENT marriage. May I
share the Economist report
with you, taking note, to be sure, of the secularist condescension
palpable in the phrase "the Vatican and its ilk." The report
nonetheless offers, for a more skeptical constituency, empirical
support for the wise and profoundly true admonitions of Scripture.

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The Waiting Game
From: The Economist,
January 22, 2011

When is it the right time to do the deed ? If priests had their way, it
would be after the wedding
ceremony-but recent studies show such advice is rarely heeded. Roughly
85% of the American population, for example, approves of premarital
sex. Faced with numbers like that, what hope do the Vatican and its ilk
really have?

More than they did a week ago. Until now, the argument that couples
should wait until they are married before they have sex has rested on
mere assertion and anecdote. [For devout Christians, of course, our
Lord's forthright commands (Matthew 15:19) represent something
more than "mere assertion"]. Dean Busby and his
colleagues at Brigham Young University, in Utah, however, have gathered
some data which support DELAY.

Little is known about the influence of sexual timing on how
relationships develop. Even so, opinions abound. Some argue that the
sexual organs, both physical and mental (for, as the old saw has it,
the most powerful erotic organ is the mind) need a test drive to make
sure the chemistry between a couple means they will stay together both
in sickness and in health. Others suggest that couples who delay or abstain from sexual
intimacy early on allow communication
to become the foundation of their attraction, and that this helps to ensure that companionship and
partnership keep them together when the initial flames of lust
die down.

To examine these suggestions more closely, Dr. Busby and his colleagues recruited
2,035 married people ranging in age from 19 to 71, and in length of
marriage from less than six months to more than 20 years. Their
religious affiliations varied widely; many had none.

All were asked to complete an
online questionnaire normally used to help couples understand
their strengths and weaknesses. Among the nearly 300 questions, participants
were asked when they first had
sex with their partners, whether their sex lives were currently good, how they resolved
conflicts, and how often they thought of ending their relationship. In
addition, the questionnaire had 14 items that evaluated how good
participants were at expressing empathy and understanding to their
partners and how prone they were to be critical or defensive. All
questions, apart from those about frequency of sex, were answered on a
five-point scale, with one indicating strong disagreement and five
indicating strong agreement.

Because religiosity delays
sexual activity, Dr. Busby and his colleagues also asked participants
how often they attended church, how often they prayed and whether they
felt spirituality was an important part of their lives. They used the
answers to control for religiosity. They also controlled
for income, education, race and length of relationship.

Their report, just published in
the Journal of Family Psychology, suggests that PEOPLEWHO DELAY HAVING
SEX DO INDEED HAVE BETTER RELATIONSHIPS , on four different
measures. [Cited in a table that
accompanied the report, the four measures were: Communication; Sexual Quality; Relationship
Satisfaction; and Perceived Stability. On all four measures
those who "waited" until the
marriage vows were exchanged scored significantly
higher]. That result applies to both men and women. ... [The
study] will provide useful ammunition for priestsand maniage-guidance
counselors.
[Emphasis added].